About Femininity. Colleen Allen SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed

I’ve been following Colleen Allen’s work since her debut, and it’s thrilling to see her collections strengthen season after season. Allen knows exactly who her woman is, and she designs with that archetype in mind. She’s poised and elegant, but with a touch of witchy allure – and an affinity for a peekaboo, négligé moment. Lace-trimmed bralettes and maxi skirts from the spring collection played with frivolous flashes of skin, while ecclesiastical silk cloaks added a sense of regality. Allen’s garments, though, are best appreciated in motion: her dresses dissolve into airy mists that wrap around the body. As she continues to develop her business, I’d love to see her step onto the runway.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe!

NET-A-PORTER Limited

Lady, Lady, Lady. Tory Burch SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Once again, Tory Burch saves New York Fashion Week. The designer – who over the past few years has undergone a creative renaissance, dubbed by some as a “Tory-ssance” – examines the meaning of femininity through a beautifully balanced lens that merges past and present.

Her spring-summer 2026 collection is decidedly simpler and less “styled” than her previous outing, making room for alluring 1920s-inspired dresses, airy pleated skirts reminiscent of the 1950s, and 1980s-filtered balloon pants. In Burch’s hands, these looks never read as vintage pastiche but as pieces ready to be worn by women of now. Special mention goes to the purposefully faded wallpaper print, beautifully executed in a charming satin lilac pencil skirt. The overall feeling of the collection brought to my mind Marco Zanini’s glory days at Rochas, where he envisioned modern-day dames through a highly feminine, eclectic, yet undeniably cool perspective. Through her current work, Burch redefines the term “ladylike” by stripping away its conservative connotations – and that’s what I find most compelling about it.

ED’s SELECTION:

Tory Burch Printed Cotton-blend Poplin Midi Dress


Tory Burch Grosgrain-trimmed Broderie Anglaise Cotton-voile Tunic


Tory Burch Cotton-blend Pants


Tory Burch Mary Jane Leather Ballet Flats

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe!

NET-A-PORTER Limited

Overdressed. Khaite SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed

For the past few seasons, Khaite’s Catherine Holstein has been trying far too hard to make a fashion statement. She seems intent on proving her brand is ‘more.’ Yet, just like last season, her latest collection is overcrowded with unnecessary volumes and overworked design gestures. Geometric foldings, unflattering cuts, exaggerated padding, crafty weavings, oversized ruffles, and fur pompons leave her woman looking overdressed – and confused. The polka dots in the finale looks with gathered maxi skirts? Actually fun. They were clearly inspired by Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garçons. Perhaps the Khaite client should stop by Dover Street Market New York once in a while.

My biggest issue with this collection lies in all the in-between fillers. Coincidentally, COS presented its collection just a day after Khaite – and the high-street favorite of minimalists worldwide not only outshone Holstein’s so-called ‘less is more’ suits and eveningwear, but also made Calvin Klein Collection and many other New York–based labels look pale and plain by comparison this season.

I’m officially dubbing this phenomenon: ‘KHOS.’

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe!

NET-A-PORTER Limited